In my past life, I couldn’t adjust to their food and had to survive on berries alone. That led to severe malnutrition, and during a summer rainstorm, I fell sick and nearly died.
It was Kaelan’s medical skills that saved me. He brewed a foul–smelling herbal concoction that tasted awful but brought my fever down within hours.
Kaelan stared at me for a moment, then nodded seriously. “Understood. Rest now.“”
“Okay,” I murmured, closing my eyes.
Exhausted from the day’s events, I quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.
When I woke up, the sky outside had already grown dark.
I sat up abruptly on the stone bed, startled by how much time had passed.
“Lily, you’re awake,” Kaelan’s deep voice rumbled from nearby. “You must be hungry. Come eat something.”
22:36 Fri, Jan 10
Rubbing my stomach, which was now uncomfortably empty, I got out of bed and walked over to the wooden table.
Two stone bowls were already set out. One was filled with steaming meat soup, and the other with a selection of unfamiliar berries.
“Did you eat already?” I asked as I sat down.
Kaelan nodded, his golden eyes locked onto my face. There was something. uncomfortably intense about his gaze–warm, almost scorching, like an unspoken hunger simmering beneath the surface.
“I’ve eaten. Don’t worry about me. Eat up,” he said, his voice low and steady.
Gripping the wooden spoon tightly, I tried to ignore the tingling sensation his down my spine. I knew then that Kaelan wasn’t going to let me off easily tonight.
eyes sent
I took a cautious sip of the soup.
To my surprise, Kaelan had gone above and beyond. The meat was cut into thin, tender
strips and cooked to perfection–it practically melted in my mouth.
Though the soup was simply seasoned with salt, it was rich and flavorful, the natural
taste of the meat shining through.
Before I knew it, I was halfway through the bowl.
But the portions were enormous, far more than I could handle. I set the spoon down feeling full.
“I can’t eat anymore,” I said, pushing the bowl away.
Kaelan’s gaze flicked to
Stomach, as if to confirm I’d eaten enough. After a moment,
he nodded, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
“I’ll clean up,” he said, gathering the bowls. “There’s a hot spring in the back of the house. You can use it to wash up.”
2236 Fri, Jan 10: to
A hot spring?
I couldn’t hide my excitement.
Most beastmen were rough and unbothered by hygiene, often bathing in rivers or streams. But for someone like me, accustomed to modern comforts, the idea of bathing in a river was out of the question.
a
With a hot spring in Kaelan’s home, I wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.
As soon as Kaelan left with the bowls, I followed the dim light toward the part of the house he mentioned.
